With a high penetration level of electric vehicles, the operation of electrical distribution grids is facing another challenge. Currently, two strategies for charging the electrical vehicles are envisioned:
Slow charging may be used particularly in garages and home parking and may be defined via a maximum charging current limited by the low voltage network infrastructure.
Fast charging may be used at dedicated charging stations and large parking lots in the premises of large office buildings or shopping malls and may be defined via an enhanced charging rate to shorten the charging time and hence the waiting time for charging.
To facilitate the supply of energy, utilities may provide charging poles and/or charging stations for the vehicles. The charging poles may be distributed across large geographical areas and the load on the distribution grid is expected to rise considerably. This will most likely have a consequence on the energy price which may be dependent on the time of charging and on the supply demand ratio.
From a drivers' perspective, the charging time should be as short as possible. With fast charging mechanisms, the charging process is envisioned to take between 10-15 minutes.